I have been trying to make the ideal venison burger and every time I make a new one I feel like I'm getting closer. My last venison burger was really good but it still felt like it was missing something. I now know what that something was. Over the years I have heard several people say that you need to add fat to your venison burgers. I have tried beef fat and pork fat with good results from each but nothing that blew me away. My uncle always said that you should grind bacon into your burger meat. I had read this in a couple of different places but it was Hank Shaw who turned me on to the idea of buying bacon ends at the grocery store and using them. Bacon ends are just the scraps left over from bacon and are mostly fat but add a touch of smoke flavor to your burgers.
I kept telling myself I was going to try grinding bacon into some venison and never got around to it. Finally this year I set aside 7 pounds of venison to be ground with 3 pounds of bacon ends. I packaged this separately and labeled it FOR BURGERS ONLY. Yesterday I finally got around to making my New favorite venison burger.
I was very happy with the results, the burgers held together great and cooked evenly and were juicy and delicious. The addition of the bacon ends gave the venison a sweet smokiness that wasn't overwhelming but very mild and pleasant. In addition to the bacon I added a little garlic powder and onion powder, some salt and pepper and a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. I grilled the burgers and achieved that nice cooked crust you can only get from a grill. So far these are the best burgers I have ever made and luck me I have 9 more pounds to use this year.
Venison and Bacon Fat burgers.
1 lbs of pre mixed venison and bacon ground meat
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Mix together all ingredients and form into patties, grill over medium high heat and serve with your favorite toppings.
